


Real Life or Just Fantasy

by QuinTalon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blatant Flirting, F/M, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Much blushing, OR IS IT, Time Travel, just a silly bit of fun, maybe it was a dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25052881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuinTalon/pseuds/QuinTalon
Summary: Hermione wakes up and sees the last face she ever expected. But it could be a good thing, right?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/James Potter
Comments: 21
Kudos: 96
Collections: LoveDump 2020





	Real Life or Just Fantasy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyKenz347](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKenz347/gifts).



> For my darling friend LadyKenz347. I hope this ridiculous bit of nonsense brings a smile to your face. 
> 
> Much thanks to the lovely MidnightValkyrie for reading this over for me. All mistakes are my own.

The dappled light shining through the trees shifted across her face as the leaves swirled in the breeze. She blinked into the brightness, her eyes blurry as she took in her surroundings.

Hermione lay on a bed of thick grass, a small rock digging into her shoulder. The smell of damp moss and pine trees invaded her senses as she took a deep breath. She was in a forest, the canopy far above her. 

She had no memory of how she got there, the last she remembered she had fallen into bed after a long day working at the Ministry and evening out with friends. Just as she closed her eyes trying to recall anything out of the ordinary happening the previous day, a shadow passed above her, blocking the light.

Hermione’s eyes shot open and she scrambled backward at the sight of four young men, one of them leaning over her.

Holding his hands up in a sign that he meant no harm, the man leaning slowly stood and took a step back. “Are you okay,” he asked. “Are you injured?”

Hermione shook her head. “No. No, I don’t think so. I’m fine.”

The concerned man smiled, his eyes bright behind his glasses. Hermione tilted her head. That smile looked familiar, maybe she had met this man before. She ran her eyes over him quickly, then to the three standing close by. The one in the middle had sandy blond hair and scar across his cheek just like…

Recognition sliced through her as she realized she was looking at the Marauders. All young, all alive, all looking at her with a mix of amusement and worry. 

This could not be happening. 

Was she dreaming? The bruise on her shoulder from the rock and the dampness of her clothes indicated otherwise. No, this felt very real.

“Fuck me,” she blurted out. 

The man she knew to be Sirius Black barked out a laugh while Remus Lupin blushed as he fought a smile and Peter Pettigrew giggled nervously. James Potter blinked twice before a smug smirk stretched his lips. “As flattered and intrigued as I am, little witch, I think I should know your name first.”

Hermione blushed at his teasing. “Th-that’s not…”

James chuckled and extended his hand to help her up. With surprising strength, he had her on her feet in seconds. Pressing her hands to his—very firm, very warm—chest to steady herself, Hermione looked into the most stunning pair of hazel eyes she had ever seen, changing from green to gold to brown in the shifting light.

She took a moment to study him from her close vantage point. For research purposes, of course. How else was she to figure out if this was a dream?

Wireframe glasses sat on a slightly aquiline nose, accentuating the strong cheekbones and sharp jawline. His thin lips were curled into a teasing smirk, one that should have been annoying but was actually endearing.

His hair was just as unruly as Harry’s, but where her friend’s looked perpetually messy, his father’s looked artfully tousled. For a moment, Hermione was seized with the insane urge to run her fingers through the dark locks, just to see if she could tousle it more.

Shaking her head of wild thoughts, Hermione stepped out of his arms and ran a hand over her curls, pulling out a leaf and small stick. She reached down to straightened her clothing, heaving a sigh of relief that she was in a jumper and jeans and  _ not _ the fuzzy pink kitty cat pajamas she had fallen asleep in.

A throat cleared loudly, drawing her attention once again to James as he looked at her expectantly, eyebrow quirked high.

“Hmm?”

He huffed good-naturedly. “I asked for your name, love.”

“Oh. It’s Her—” She stopped, unsure what to say. Did she give her real name or a fake one? There certainly wasn’t a book on how to introduce yourself to your best friend’s unreasonably attractive father and his prankster friends when you’ve somehow managed to possibly travel back in time twenty years. Or having the strangest lucid dream ever.

Her head hurt just thinking about it.

“Her? Is that short for something?”

“Herlinda?” Peter helpfully supplied.

Sirius hummed. “Nah, she looks more like a Hermina.”

With a shrug, Remus chimed in. “Hersilia?”

The Marauders exchanged a look and then a volley of increasingly absurd names flew back and forth.

“Hertha.”

“Hera.”

“Hermosa.”

“Herbertine.”

“Herta.”

“Herodias.”

“Herman!”

Scoffing, she interjected, “Hermione.”

“Oh, good one!”

“I know. It’s my name.”

Four heads turned to her simultaneously and Hermione would have laughed if she weren’t experiencing her strangest day ever. They all seemed almost sad the game was done.

James took a step closer to her and smiled. “Oh. Hermione.”

Merlin, he practically purred her name. She had no idea it could sound so… alluring. 

He winked at her growing blush. “Lovely name for a gorgeous witch.”

Well. Wasn’t that just one of the cheesiest pickup lines ever. She was slightly ashamed to realize it was working.

Bowing slightly, he grasped her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “James Potter, at your service Miss Hermione.”

He straightened and gestured to his friends, introducing each one. Hermione smiled and nodded to each man in turn.

James then nodded and clapped his hands. “Right! Well Hermione, now that we know each other, the boys and I were just on our way back to my place for some food. Care to join us?”

He reached out his hand to her again, wiggling his fingers when she hesitated. “Come on, little witch. We don’t bite.” He leaned closer and murmured, “Well, I might if you want me to.”

Good Godric and his giant golden gonads, but this man was a flirt. Hermione was sure that her blush would take up permanent residence if he kept that up.

Not that it would be a bad thing, really. She found she quite liked it.

Lips pursed as she debated, Hermione’s logical brain battled her sense of adventure. It had been years since she was met with a puzzle she needed to solve. She needed to find out if this was real or just a dream, if she had somehow traveled through time or was lying in a coma at St. Mungo’s.

She thought back on all of the stories she had heard about the Marauders and their exploits, the ones that had made her laugh and left her intrigued, wishing she had known them as they had been.

Right then. Decision made.

Hermione smiled at James and laced her fingers through his.


End file.
